The ongoing hand-wringing in Congress by the newly empowered Democrats over what to do about the war in Iraq speaks volumes about the level of concern (or lack thereof) these “representatives of the people” have toward the men and women who honor us all by serving in the armed forces of the United States of America.

The inability to reach consensus concerning the level of funding required or how to exercise effective oversight of the war, both constitutionally mandated responsibilities, is more a reflection of congressional cowardice and impotence than a byproduct of any heartfelt introspection over troop welfare and national security.

More at the link.

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"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

I don't think it is fair to call Americans idiots as far as Iraq is concerned. Peoples' perceptions and education is a function of the kind of information that they receive. America watches a lot of television and has delegated the task of public and foreign policy to their elected officials.

Citizens have a right to expect their elected leaders to act on their behalf. Some people can be knowledgeable about Iraq, but most are not. And, that includes some of the politicians as well. But, it is the one's who are in direct control of foreign policy who are responsible for doing the right thing, keeping in mind America's interests as well as the rights of foreign populations.

We know that the current Bush regime is not acting in the general interest of the population. But, we shouldn't be blaming the ignorance of the American populaiton for this fact. In a way, I suppose, the Administration wants the public to be ignorant is some respects. A fully informed public would represent a danger to the Adminstration.

But, again, we are counting on the opposition to the president to be informed. I am talking about Congress. These are the people who should be primarily educated because they are the ones who must confromt the powers that be, and to represent the views of the population as well; to express the common will. It is from these people that the education should emmanate from, and thus theoretically at least, encourage the public to be informed. I am saying that the media is not going to do the job under current conditionsl

_________________My life is full of optimism and I am not going to stop living until I know the answers to all of the important things, like why does love exist.

The person making this comment at the original link, Just, seems to agree with you:

Quote:

Comment #61362 by stephen miller on 3/30 at 8:28 am

Americans have a new way of holding the society’s discourse, arising from generalized historical amnesia and the withering away of critical thinking skills. It’s much easier than listening and reading everything, (all the conflicting facts and opinions), and trying to come to your own conclusion.

Here’s the trick:

Step 1: Get an IMPRESSION. (The faster the better- snap judgments come from the gut, the true source of correct impressions. Bestseller:

“Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking")

Step 2: Adopt an ATTITUDE. Choose the attitude you like from among the attitudes of people you identify with on TV.

Got one? ok, you’re ready. Now when someone asks you what you think about something, you can say “Well my attitude on that is… [fill in]”. And bingo! you are an informed and opinionated person without any effort at all!

This works in the invisibly behind consensus reality, but is also worked directly from the visible top: try a Google search for Bush + “my attitude” - you’ll find whitehouse.gov transcripts of his speeches - either he or some of the people behind him know what they’re doing.

(Bush just recently commented on Tony Snow’s cancer- “His attitude is he’s gonna fight it. My attitude is we should pray for him")

The remainder of the comments at the link are interesting, especially those from "Cedric" and GI JOE...reminds me of a few wingers we've had here...and some that are still here!

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

A fully informed public would represent a danger to the Adminstration.

This appears to be the problem.

As for Congress, up until this January it was all R all the time. I have no idea how much they knew beyond that they had to do what they were told or they would not be backed by their party. Actually, that is what happened to the prosecutors who were just fired.

Dems are now investigating what has happened over the past six years, and they have come a long way already. But they have an even longer way to go yet.

It is amazing how much dirt has been swept under that huge R rug!

But you pretty much have to come to the computer or dig this stuff out on C-Span, Democracy Now! or Link TV. You don't hear much about it in main stream media.

Now, Scott Ritter takes on the Democrats in Congress who have neglected to stop Bush in his hell-bent path to war with Iran. Ritter pulls no punches in bringing Israel into the disastrous mix, too. Isn't it funny? Somehow, Israel ALWAYS is found lurking somewhere within the context of American imperialism.

This new Democratic leadership has failed egregiously. Not only has the speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, been unable to orchestrate any meaningful legislation to bring the war in Iraq to an end, but in mid-March she carelessly greased the tracks for a whole new conflict. By excising language from a defense appropriations bill which would have required President Bush to seek the approval of Congress prior to initiating any military attack on Iran, Pelosi terminated any hope of slowing down the Bush administration’s mad rush to war.

Quote:

Despite the fact that Congress was only stating through this language a simple reflection of constitutional mandate, Speaker Pelosi and others felt that the inclusion of such verbiage put the security of the state of Israel at risk by eliminating important “policy options” for the president of the United States. In short, Israeli national security interests trumped the Constitution of the United States.

I consider myself to be a friend of Israel, a status which has been demonstrated repeatedly through words and deeds from January-February 1991, when I was involved in the effort to stop Iraq Scud missiles from striking Israel during the 1991Gulf War, to the period between October 1994 and June 1998 when I served as the lead liaison between the United Nations weapons inspectors and Israeli intelligence, working to find a final accounting of Iraq’s proscribed weapons of mass destruction. I know only too well the precarious reality of Israel’s security situation, and am sympathetic to its need to proactively deal with threats before they manifest themselves in a manner which threatens Israel’s ability to survive as a nation-state.

However, as an American who served on active duty in time of war as an officer of Marines, I also remember the oath I took to “uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” As such, I am troubled by the recent actions of Speaker Pelosi and other members of Congress who have not only abrogated their collective responsibility to uphold and defend the Constitution but have taken actions which, under normal circumstances and involving any other nation, would border on treasonous. Our collective duty as Americans must center on defending the very document, the Constitution, which defines who we are and what we are as a people and a nation. To have our elected representatives flagrantly push aside their constitutional responsibilities in the name of the security interests of another nation is unthinkable. And yet it has just happened, apparently without consequence.

Sadly, the new Democratic Congress has cemented its status as yet another iteration of a system which long ago sold its soul to special interests. Democrats can cackle about Republican scandals, including the Jack Abramoff affair, which brought down Rep. Tom DeLay among others. But history will show that the Pelosi-led sellout to Israeli special interests endangered the viability and security of America as a sovereign state governed by the rule of law more than Jack Abramoff ever could.

I was going to leave a comment asking if Karen was one of Cheney's long lost illegitimate love children from the 60's.

Nice one. Do you think she ever checks it? Keep posting this kind of stuff and one day get her to check it out.

Cheney really is a Dick, in the tradition of the Tricky one.

Thanks for checking out my blog. Yeah, she read part of it once and she thought it was creepy. But, that is neither here nor there.

I don't think Scott Ritter is going to get very far criticizing the masses for their ignorance. In a way, it is just not their fault. The education system has let them down as has their government and their churches. Americans are essentially brainwashed in my humble opinion. Organized religion and government control do that. BTW. I think Scott is doing a great job trying to educate people. Here is a much better article by Scott Ritter:

I agree 'one more', our society is set up to make sure children grow up not thinking. Heaven knows teachers do their best, but they are up against mindless entertainment along with the things you have mentioned. Children are taught to think, but not critically.

Teachers do the best they can in impossible circumstances.

I can see why people such as Scott Ritter are up in arms. Look at the people we have come on here and blather their ignorance at us, so proud of their willingness to be sops of the state.